Adam Silver flat-out denied that tanking exists in the NBA. Also, that quote from Rod Thorn reads much more strongly in print and out of context. If you watch the actual video, he comes off as much less forthright.

Was he drinking? Or did all the stats talk befuddle him. I'd like to see the full context he made those comments in but it is a shocking admission on the face of it. Is he going to get another gig...and if he does with a crappy team and they are doing badly...imagine this coming up in interviews. lol.

Adam Silver flat-out denied that tanking exists in the NBA. Also, that quote from Rod Thorn reads much more strongly in print and out of context. If you watch the actual video, he comes off as much less forthright.

"My understanding of 'tanking' would be losing games on purpose, and there's absolutely no evidence that any team in the NBA has ever lost a single game  or certainly in any time that I've been in the league  on purpose," Silver said during a media conference with reporters at Smoothie King Center.

However, the understanding of pretty well anyone else who uses the word is vastly different.

The video for the 2014 analytics panel is not up.. I'm hoping it will be up by next week sometime (after the conference ends). The link to their website can be found here: http://www.sloansportsconference.com/

Here is the 2013 panel discussion (again great discussion but is over an hour long):

1. Colangelo pointed out that the victory essentially kept the Raptors “from a coin flip for Damian Lillard potentially.” Umm... considering their best player is Kyle Lowry, who's a point guard and they were willing to over pay for Steve Nash, who's a point guard, is very funny.

2. Others have made this point, but Terrence Ross is their best perimeter defender. Plus, while that was the Anthony Davis draft, it's not like the ones drafted in front of Ross are doing gangbusters. And I'm a fan of Harrison Barnes.

3. They STILL had the chance to draft the 2nd or 3rd best player (Andre Drummond) and they passed.

One day, there will be a book written on how bad that GM was with the Raptors.

The video for the 2014 analytics panel is not up.. I'm hoping it will be up by next week sometime (after the conference ends). The link to their website can be found here: http://www.sloansportsconference.com/

Here is the 2013 panel discussion (again great discussion but is over an hour long):

Do you have a link or summary of the proposal they were discussing? My google skills are failing me

He was very lawyerly-vague with his words. As 3inthekeon wrote, Silver said:

"My understanding of 'tanking' would be losing games on purpose, and there's absolutely no evidence that any team in the NBA has ever lost a single game  or certainly in any time that I've been in the league  on purpose,"

You can apply this statement to owners, GMs, coaches, players - everyone.

Apparently it's breaking actual NBA rules for any team to ever lose a game on purpose. Including at the organizational level. If someone really wanted to make a stink about, there could possibly be actual legal repercussions to what, for eg, Philly is doing this year.

I hated BCC when he was running the show here. After this comment, I hate him more than ever. Possible more than Babcock.

The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority. - Martin Luther King

How is this worthy of two pages of posts. who cars if he "admitted" to tanking...as if it is a crime you have to "admit". Call it what you want to make you feel better.... call it rebuilding, developing, retooling, whatever...... all franchises must do it in all sports at some point.

Who cares that BC was finally the one guy to verbalize that he just wasn't that interested in winning in a given year?

Last summer Philly traded an all star for a pick and a rookie who will play exactly 0 minutes this season, and then moved most of their other established players at the deadline for virtually nothing that will help this season. Golden State players have admitted to being held out of games when they were healthy in 2012 as the team desperately tried to sink down the standings so their pick landed in it's protections. Teams like Orlando and New Orleans took packages of young players + picks over established NBA talent when they traded their superstars away. The list goes on and on. Them admitting it before, during or after the fact really changes nothing.

A handful of teams tank EVERY SINGLE YEAR... we know this. It's a fact. It's like we're more outraged that he admitted it than we are with the actual tanking, and that doesn't make any sense to me.

Who cares that BC was finally the one guy to verbalize that he just wasn't that interested in winning in a given year?

Last summer Philly traded an all star for a pick and a rookie who will play exactly 0 minutes this season, and then moved most of their other established players at the deadline for virtually nothing that will help this season. Golden State players have admitted to being held out of games when they were healthy in 2012 as the team desperately tried to sink down the standings so their pick landed in it's protections. Teams like Orlando and New Orleans took packages of young players + picks over established NBA talent when they traded their superstars away. The list goes on and on. Them admitting it before, during or after the fact really changes nothing.

A handful of teams tank EVERY SINGLE YEAR... we know this. It's a fact. It's like we're more outraged that he admitted it than we are with the actual tanking, and that doesn't make any sense to me.

It's interesting that he made the admission under such a bright light, and so boldly. I'm curious as to what his angle is.

Plus, there's the added hilarity (as several other has pointed out) that he couldn't even tank right.

It's interesting that he made the admission under such a bright light, and so boldly. I'm curious as to what his angle is.

Plus, there's the added hilarity (as several other has pointed out) that he couldn't even tank right.

This seems like classic BC to me. Blatant and calculated tanking is much more of a new school concept, so BC probably thought he was registering some 'cool points' by admitting it so casually in a room full of 'analytics' guys.

It reminds me when Colangelo spilled the beans to Grantland about the team's super forward thinking analytics software and program. As always, the man lacks self awareness. He's as desperate to appear successful as he is for actual success.

And the fact that he supposedly tried to tank and failed isn't all that surprising either. He makes the short list for worst GM of the past decade. He should have cashed in Bargnani's career-high stock that season if he was really invested in bottoming out... but we all know his relationship with that guy.

1. Colangelo pointed out that the victory essentially kept the Raptors from a coin flip for Damian Lillard potentially. Umm... considering their best player is Kyle Lowry, who's a point guard and they were willing to over pay for Steve Nash, who's a point guard, is very funny.

2. Others have made this point, but Terrence Ross is their best perimeter defender. Plus, while that was the Anthony Davis draft, it's not like the ones drafted in front of Ross are doing gangbusters. And I'm a fan of Harrison Barnes.

3. They STILL had the chance to draft the 2nd or 3rd best player (Andre Drummond) and they passed.

One day, there will be a book written on how bad that GM was with the Raptors.

Hindsight is 20/20 my friend

A key that opens many locks is a master key, but a lock that gets open by many keys is just a shitty lock

I don't see any problem with him that admitting to tanking or rebuilding. As he said, they weren't intentionally losing games. But just the irony that he failed to tank properly. He gave up that late 1st rounder for james johnson, which could have been Corey Joseph, Chandler Parsons, or Norris Cole.

He did great in Phoenix and no doubt he has eye for talent, but he stagnated Toronto. He tried to do well but it just wasn't working. At least we got Masai.